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A couple days later, I ventured into the command room, planning on dragging Tim to sparring practice with me and Lance. He clicked away at the keyboard while Pops watched the screen. After a moment, he turned to Pops. “The signal’s legit when compared to the records.”
“Good. Patch the signal through.” Pops glanced at me. “Could you alert the others? I’d like to talk with them. Seems we have a message from the Mexican Resistance.”
“Uh—sure.” I left the two of them to their own devices and headed downstairs. Warm light and a chorus of laughter spilled into the bronze corridor from Crush’s room. I peeked inside. A couple photographs hung next to a large comic book poster. One photo had Chill and Alec standing beside Crush, each trying to give him a noogie while he laughed and evaded their attempts. Another was a snapshot of Alec flying through the air while Crush balanced on a teetering platform of rock and soil.
“Wasn’t my fault!” Jack protested. He sat backward on a chair while Inese leaned in the crook of Crush’s arms. “I was just trying to kill the beastie. You’re the one who shot it onto the car.” He tipped a bottle in their direction to emphasize his point.
“That dent was fun,” Inese muttered. “You realize how long it took to remove it?”
“You had the dent fixed in five minutes.” Jack popped his neck. “Now, you want fun messes, who got to clean up the paintball splatters in the gym? Who’s still finding paint splatters under the rails?”
Inese chortled. “That’s why we’re sticking to the forest next time. Nothing like a bit of friendly competition.”
“Last time you sat in a tree and picked us off one by one.”
“If you’d learn to use your life power, you’d have known I was there.”
“Actually,” Crush interrupted, “paintballing might be a good team exercise for the new guys.” He paused, distant, and the other two exchanged glances. He leaned closer to Inese. “Remember the time Alec realized Chill was going to freeze his tea solid, so he boiled it first?”
Inese wrapped her arm around him gently. “Yeah. He got himself a nice iced tea.”
Jack smiled, but he didn’t meet Crush’s eyes. “To old friends,” he said quietly. He raised his glass.
The others did the same. “And a better tomorrow,” Inese said.
I held the door tight, my stomach in knots. Crush and Alec must’ve been close. If I’d gone with Pops when he first warned me, Chill and Alec would be alive.
I balanced on the balls of my feet to keep from making noise as I stepped away from the door. I didn’t want them to know I’d heard.
Still...
I took a deep breath and knocked. The talking quieted.
“Pops wants to see you guys,” I said quickly. “Something about a message from the Mexican Resistance.”
Jack motioned his bottle to me. “We’ll be there in a moment.”
I nodded and hurried out. I felt guilty enough without eavesdropping on their private conversations.
Fifteen minutes later, the crew assembled in the command room. The large computer screen flickered, lighting dimly on a middle-aged man with stubble on his chin. He smirked, looking at us through the camera. “Looks like you’ve still got a decent sized team. Who’s the new recruits?”
Jack grunted. “Nice to see you, too.”
Pops stepped forward. “Captain, this is my granddaughter, Jenna, and her friends, Lance and Tim. Tim’s the one who saw your message.”
The man eyed Tim, then nodded. “You know—I’ve got a son about your age. Nice to meet you. Name’s Cortez.” He tipped his fingers to his head in an informal salute, then turned his attention back to Pops. “You really should’ve introduced me,” he said, wagging his finger.
Pops raised his chin. “You didn’t give me a chance.”
“Ah, well—gotta speak faster. Anyhow, there’s been a leak in the Camaraderie’s intelligence. They’re transporting some sort of ‘piedra de los viajeros’ to a so-called ‘abandoned’ warehouse in southern Mexico. They’re making a pretty big racket for a routine delivery.”
“We’ve picked up an artifact by the same name from Guatemala,” Pops said.
“Anything special?”
“Nothing more than local superstition.”
The captain raised an eyebrow.
Several documents filled the screen, each more detailed than the original translation. “According to the translation,” Tim explained, “there’s five ‘travelers’ stones,’ each in a temple around the world. I’m not sure where exactly, but each one is from a different ancient culture.” He clasped his free hand around his identity charm. “Right now I think there’s another stone in Japan.”
“Any idea what they do?”
“My translation suggests some form of time travel,” Tim said.
The captain grinned. “Makes sense why the Maya would be so protective. Might be a way to stop the Camaraderie from existing.”
I crossed my arms. “Going back in time might stop the Camaraderie from existing, but that doesn’t exactly have nice implications for us, either.”
He chuckled. “Technicalities.”
Crush peered around from one of the computers near the front windows. “There are signs of recent activity in the area, but otherwise, the place has been abandoned for some time now.”
“What kind of activity?” Pops asked.
“Flight beasties.” Captain Cortez ran his hand through his hair. “I’m guessing the Camaraderie’s going for aerial surveillance. Nothing your invisible car can’t handle.”
So... a lithe beast with wings, flying circles around our car.
Joy.
“The Camaraderie has something worth guarding.” Inese suggested.
Jack grunted. “Or it’s a trap.”
“What’d you do to get them all riled up?” the captain asked. “Seems they’ve been going at you non-stop lately. Not that it hasn’t been useful for us, but—”
Jack jabbed a thumb at me. “Someone stole Brainmaster’s pendant the last time we went on a mission.”
“You’re pulling my leg!” Captain Cortez burst out laughing. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
Jim held up the pendant.
The captain quieted. He cast a glance at me, then at the pendant, and then softly murmured in Spanish. Multi-faceted reflections glinted across the pendant’s surface. The antique looked even older than when I first held it.
“As farfetched as the idea sounds, there is no denying that there are unusual artifacts in this world.” Jim twisted the chain around his fingers and drew the pendant into his hand. “Given our dwindling numbers, these ‘time stones’ may be the only thing we have preventing the Camaraderie from gaining unprecedented power. We cannot reverse the Camaraderie’s influence. But if we could return to the source, back to a time when their influence could be prevented, should we not take that opportunity?”
“What if they don’t do anything?” Inese asked.
Crush shrugged. “Then there’s no loss. It shouldn’t be too hard to snoop around an abandoned warehouse. Check it out, and if it’s not worth it, leave. I say we give it a shot.”
“Unless it’s a trap.” Jack crossed his arms over his jacket.
The captain nodded. “I’ve got a few teams in the area. We can provide backup if you investigate.”
Pops looked around the room at his team and sighed. “In that case, Inese will take a team to Mexico three days from now—Jack as team leader and Jenna and Lance as support. That should be enough time to prepare.”
“Why don’t I go with them?” Crush suggested. “You know—stretch my legs, get some sun—maybe smell rusty old warehouse pipes and crates?”
“No.” Pops shook his head. “I need you to continue training Tim on the navigational system, and Gwen could use the company.”
Crush shrugged. “Fair enough, but I want to go on a mission sometime.”
“Noted. Any questions?”
There were none, and Pops dismissed us while he continued working out the details with the captain. Tim dashed down the stairs without a second’s hesitation, probably trying to avoid being invited to sparring practice again.
“So, what do you think about all this time stone stuff?” Lance asked me in the hallway.
“Sounds interesting,” I admitted, “though I’m not sure I believe it.”
“Well, you’d never see it in the Community. But hey—” He nudged my elbow. “It’s a chance to see something other than a rusty old airship. Besides, we could wander around the jungle and see all the pretty flowers. Or we could keep sparring. Your choice.”
I glared at him. “As long as we don’t run into any more beasts or telepaths.” I touched my fingers to where the charm lay on my chest, out of sight to keep him from asking about it.
Lance smiled and left the door to the training room cracked open. He peeked out. “I’ll see you later, all right? Don’t forget—you’re shooting with Inese after lunch.”
“I won’t.” The charm pressed against my sternum.
Shooting practice—right. Telepathy couldn’t harm anyone if the telepath was shot in the head. Somehow, it seemed less brutal than stabbing them.
